mnartists.org: Erica Spitzer Rasmussen

Collar #1: Book of Secrets

Erica Spitzer Rasmussen — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 15:02:23 GMT

These wearable books are modeled after Elizabethan collars and are constructed with traditional binding techniques. The content of each is intensely personal and reflects current events in my life. Acting like private journals, they function as records of thoughts and experiences.

Intimacy of Memory

Erica Spitzer Rasmussen — Fri, 20 May 2005 18:21:45 GMT

mixed media with handmade paper (cotton, jute, field grass, dehydrated cherry tomatoes, acrylics, shellac, camel and human hair),15" x 28" x 10", 2003 When I was a little girl, a family member told me that eating tomatoes would make me 'big, strong and hairy chested'. I avoided eating tomatoes for twenty years. My sculptural work is often inspired by childhood myths or adult anxieties regarding my body. Like my childhood association between the consumption of tomatoes and the growth of chest hair, I sometimes find body-stories or body-experiences to be simultaneously comical and horrifying. It is often these extremes in emotional reactions that drive me to produce the work, in an attempt to better comprehend each situation. I use clothing as subject matter because it allows me a ground on which to investigate identity and corporeality. My garments are metaphors. They can encompass narrative qualities, illustrate and dissolve bodily fears, or act as talismanic devices; to protect myself from physical injury or psychological harm. In addition to utilizing handmade paper, I often incorporate non-archival media into my work. I derive great joy from transforming everyday materials into something personal, meaningful and beautiful. When I see tomato paste, dog hair, sausage casings, spent tea bags or dried fish skins, I envision a work that may be transitory in nature, but rich in surfaces.

Red Hot

Erica Spitzer Rasmussen — Fri, 20 May 2005 18:16:46 GMT

mixed media with handmade paper (cotton, acrylics, gold leaf, wax, metal, rubber and match sticks), 2005

A Coat for Two Occasions

Erica Spitzer Rasmussen — Wed, 11 May 2005 02:14:26 GMT

mixed media with handmade paper (flax, joss paper, acrylics, rayon and walnut stain), 60" x 31" x 5", 2000 A Coat for Two Occasions is a garment I made to wear to my funeral and cremation. The shape of the coat is modeled after a traditional Chinese jacket and is covered with hundreds of pieces of modified joss papers. The Chinese burn sheets of joss ceremoniously at funerals, investing each sheet with a prayer for the departed. By stipulating in my will that I would like to be placed in this garment for my funeral and cremation, I will be able to burn the joss myself, giving me a bit more control over my final rites. Ultimately, if I can contribute some humor or beauty to my death, it will make my passing easier to prepare for.